Whatever It Takes
by tastethejoy
Summary: How Elsa got her powers, what Jack did, and how they come together. Jelsa in later chapters.(That's a really bad summary, but I'm no good at them anyhow)
1. The Beginning of the End?

It was time.

The king and queen were frantic, the castle was in a frenzy.

The royal brass held their trumpets at the ready, prepared to announce the arrival.

The first princess of Arendelle was about to enter the world.

"All right, your majesty. Just like we practiced, breathing," the royal doctor stood at the foot of the bed, smiling calmly at the queen. Though, with her very pregnant belly and tousled hair, she looked just like any mother-to-be: scared and excited.

She controlled her breathing. She pushed and pushed, and felt her child leave her body. Just like the doctor had said she would. But something was off, even she could see it, through her messed up hair that half covered her face. The shallow creases in the doctor's face deepened as he realized what was wrong. He bent over the newborn, first cradling it, then moving it swiftly about the room.

"Doctor," the king interrupted. "What are you doing? What's wrong with her?"

"Do you know what is missing, your majesty?" the doctor replied, still worriedly looking at the motionless child. "Crying. Your daughter has not made a sound since she took her first breath. In fact," he held his ear close to the tiny chest, "she is not breathing at all."

Silence filled the royal chamber. The baby, a stillborn.

The queen burst into tears as her husband rushed to her side and held her. He kissed her head in resignation. There was nothing they could do.

"Elsa."

* * *

Jack looked on the scene through the window, invisible to all inside. He felt for the couple. He could normally prevent parents from losing their children in the winter. He could redirect sleds, be a beacon through snowstorms, but this? There was nothing he could do about this. This couple had lost their baby girl, not to winter weather, but to Miss Fortune.

And Jack had had enough of her shenanigans. As he looked through the room to the opposite window he saw her, Fortune, playing with the spirit of the baby. Peering into the room of broken hearts, smiling. He went to her.

"Miss Fortune, what do you think you're doing?" Jack demanded.

The baby hid behind Fortune's cloak in fear. Fortune took Elsa and wrapped her arms around her. "Just some honest fun, Mister Frost," she cooed, rocking Elsa. "I don't see any harm."

"You've robbed that couple of their child, Fortune. Give her back."

"Oh, I can't do that, Jack," Fortune fixed her eyes on his, studying his face just as he was studying hers. "We both know that. And besides, Old Fortune doesn't last forever. This girl will be able to handle my duty well, I can tell. She is strong."

"Fortune, this is the fifth child I've seen you take this month. Surely one of the others will suffice to do your job once you are unable," Jack said.

There must always be a Miss Fortune, and Jack knew that. Without evil forces, the good forces are out of business. Lost. Without purpose. And Jack knew that. But this baby was a princess. She should not be in the realm of good and evil spirits. She should be living in her castle, ordering her servants to fix her whatever food she wanted and sliding down the banister in her pretty, long dresses. Not being trained the dark ways of Miss Fortune.

"But Jack, I really like this one," Fortune pleaded. "I'll even give the other four back, just let me keep her."

"No, Fortune. She belongs with her family, in her castle." Jack looked into the room, and was again hit with a wave of empathy for her parents.

"Fine," Fortune smiled an eerie smile at Jack, and hoisted the baby onto her hip. "I'll give her back."

"Really?" Jack had never won an argument against Fortune, and he wanted to make sure he hadn't misheard her. "You're going to give her back?"

"On one condition," Fortune handed Elsa over to Jack, who clumsily took her in his arms.

"You have to give her your powers. Not all of them, of course. What would winter be without Jack Frost?" She looked deep into Jack's eyes. Jack's powers were his most prized possession, anyone could tell. Without his powers, he would be nothing. "Oh, and one more thing, Jack. If you save her…"

He thought for a moment. He looked down at the baby in his arms, comforting herself from being separated from her parents for all eternity. This was one thing he, Jack Frost, could do. He wouldn't have to watch helplessly this time. He could take action. And he would.

* * *

A tapping on the window broke the silence of the scene. Everyone looked to see a skinny, pale, barefooted boy in a blue hoodie. His hair was a bright white, and he held a wooden staff and what looked to be Elsa in the doctor's arms. Jack, having made himself visible, tapped again on the window, this time with more urgency, gesturing to Elsa held by both he and the doctor.

A maid opened the window and offered Jack a blanket, which he declined.

"No thank you. I'm not bothered by the cold," Jack said, brushing past her and walking straight to the bed.

"Who are-," the king started.

"Jack Frost. Of course," the queen's face lit up, but her eyes remained sad. "I remember you. I caught a glimpse of you when I was a little girl, looking out my castle window on the first day of winter." The queen looked closely at the Elsa cradled in Jack's arms. "Is she de-"

"No, ma'am. I've brought her back to you from-," Jack hesitated telling her the full story. "From the other side. She will be yours, perfectly healthy. Except for one, minor, thing."

"What is it?"

"Really, it's nothing to fuss over."

"Jack-"

"I assure you, you have nothing to worry about."

"Mr. Frost, what is happening to the child?" the doctor interrupted, aghast at what was happening.

Elsa's spirit and body reunited, and she began to breathe. Her breath was icy cold, as well as her skin. Her hair, previously an obvious brunette, was turning into a silky white, just like Jack's. Her skin turned from a rosy pink to white and her eyes, finally open, flashed bright blue, also like Jack's.

"Jack!" the queen gasped, fear striking her body. Fear for her daughter. Fear of Jack.

"No! No, it's okay!" Jack raised his hand to stop the king, who had taken a position of defense, ready to strike Jack when necessary. "She's fine. She's just-"

"Just what?" the king was impatient to find out why his daughter was as white as a sheet.

"She's just like me," Jack's eyes flashed the same playful blue that Elsa's eyes now were. "She'll be fine. She'll love the winter, and winter will love her."

He smiled his boyish smile, "She definitely won't freeze to death."

"What are you talking about?" the queen asked, puzzled, but joyous over the life of her daughter.

Jack sighed. "That was the deal I made. I gave Elsa some of my powers in order to bring her back. She feels cold because I replaced the blood in her veins with snow. That's really all it is." He shrugged, looking at his hands. "Just some snow. But she's fine. Her body has already adapted to it, look."

Elsa was alert and smiling. As she waved her hands, small flurries began to form above her, causing her to smile and coo more. No one in the room was happier than she.

"See? She's fine." Jack smiled. He had never done this before. He never knew how it looked from the outside, what he did.

"So, she will be able to bring winter, like you do?"

"Yes."

"And no harm will come to her, or us?"

"I've never hurt anyone, have I?"


	2. Jack Knows

Jack left the happy scene: father, mother, and daughter. King, queen, and princess. He flew over the town, snow falling behind him. As he heard the giggles and squeals of delight, his heart leapt, only to fall soon afterwards. He landed in a forest, perched in the highest tree. Snow caked the entire town by now, and it shook off the branch as he landed.

"You didn't tell them," a voice from below called to him, as he had expected.

"Was I supposed to?"

Miss Fortune climbed the branch and sat next to Jack, her dress displacing more snow. She watched it fall to the ground and then turned to look at the boy, gazing over the town.

"You made your choice."

"I gave them their daughter back. Why should I tell them the price it will cost them?" Jack snapped, whipping his head around to face her. "Why should I tell them that they will have to die in order for their daughter to live?"

"I never said you had to," Fortune said. "But I can't help but wonder, Jack, what that knowledge will do to you. In fifteen years, that little girl will lose her parents. And you know that. That was the deal. A life for a life, Jack."

"But, I only saved her. How is it fair for you to take both of her parents?"

"Surely you don't think that Elsa is the only child the king and queen are going to have? No, no," Fortune closed her eyes and looked into the future. Miss Fortune's sight, even if for a few years, brought comfort to some. "She will have a sister. Anna. Bright and beautiful." Fortune could see the sisters playing in the ballroom, Elsa catching her sister with her powers. "They will be best friends." She opened her eyes and looked at her opposite. "Not to worry, Jack. They will have each other in the time of trouble ahead."

"Is that supposed to soothe me?" Jack grimaced.

"Does it?"

Jack sighed.

"Some. I will still watch over her, Elsa, I mean. I am responsible for her."

"I expect nothing less, Mister Frost," Miss Fortune gave a wave, hopped off the branch, and moved to some other town, causing mischief all the way.


	3. Chapter 3

Every year, every birthday, Elsa received another gift from her parents to help her cover up. To hide her powers.

Gloves.

Pretty, long sleeved dresses.

Thick shoes and slippers.

Every year.

_But not this year._

_I'm only fifteen._

Elsa sat on her bed and her sheets instantly cooled down at her touch. She jumped up. With her powers intensifying every year, she wasn't safe anywhere. She could hear her younger sister, Anna, tapping on her door. Calling to her.

"Elsa, I'm here.

Please let me in."

A pause. Elsa could hear a shuffle of feet on the other side.

"Elsa, I-

I don't know what to do."

Another pause, broken by Anna's small, reaching voice.

"Do you want to build a snowman? Like when we were little?"

Elsa bit her lip to fight back her tears. At least once a month Anna would come to her door, begging her to come outside. To play. To build a snowman. _Even in the middle of the summer, _Elsa smiled at the thought, only to be sad again.

"Do you want to?"

_Yes._

She fought her urge to scream. There was nothing she could do. Anna was only twelve, and even though she and her sister were alone in the world, she could do nothing to help. Nothing but send her baby sister away. Again.

"Go away, Anna."

Elsa walked to her door and leaned her head against it. She wished she could be on the other side with her sister. It had been so long since she had even seen her sister, much less hugged her. Comforted her. Been there for her. This was one thing she could do.

"Anna?" she called through the door. She could feel a thin layer of ice forming, slowly covering the door, but she didn't care. She had to do this. To be there for Anna, just this once.

"Yes?" It was obvious she was crying silent tears, the worst kind. The most painful kind.

"Be strong, okay? They would have wanted you to be strong. For them."

"For them."

"Good night, Anna."

"Good night, Elsa."

She took her hands away and looked at what she had done. The door was now covered in a delicate layer of ice. It danced with the grain of the wood and, crystal clear, reflected the moonlight from Elsa's window. The reflections cast a beautiful splay of light on her floor. It was a beautiful creation, but Elsa hated it. Her ability to take ordinary objects and make them magical was the reason she could not go outside. And she hated it.

* * *

Jack looked on through Elsa's window, invisible to her. He knew this day was coming. He remembered the king's face as he and his wife sunk into the sea. He could still see the way they clung to each other. The king had looked up in time to see Jack, trying to freeze the sea. Freeze the ship. Keep it from sinking. The king saw him trying, but knew it was futile. They had made eye contact. In that second, a pact had been made.

_Take care of her._

_I will._


	4. Help

It had been three years since Anna's parents died in the shipwreck. Three years since she had seen her sister. Really, _seen _her. Anna would sometimes catch glimpses of her wandering the halls late at night. A candle in her gloved hand, her shadow would walk the length of the hallway separating their bedrooms, loop around, and then return to her room and lock the door. It was the only evidence that her sister still existed, ever since that day. The day Elsa blew her away by speaking to her. Not just "Go away," but actually _spoke _to her. Anna longed to hear her sister's voice again, but knew it was to be an unfulfilled desire.

For now.

One day, her sister would see her, speak to her. And tomorrow was that day. Tomorrow, Elsa's 18th birthday, her coronation. Elsa, the voice behind the door, the shadow in the halls, would be crowned Queen of Arendelle.

* * *

_Conceal._

Elsa could still hear the voice of her father, training her in her powers. Doing the best he can to give his daughter a normal life. She took off her gloves and looked in her mirror. Her hair was now a beautiful white but her eyes, though they still glowed the unique blue she adopted soon after birth, now had a darkness to them. A sadness unable to be described with words, but only with experience. True sorrow, experienced alone.

_Don't feel._

Elsa concentrated, and picked up her hairbrush. She could feel it become cold, and tried to suppress the next stage for as long as she could. No ice. Not this time. She could do it, this time.

She looked down, and launched the icy brush against her window, it landing on the window seat.

She couldn't do it.

Defeated, Elsa threw herself on her bed. This time, it was her turn to cry silent tears. Tears of resignation. Tears of failure. Tears that, immediately after touching her face, froze in place.

"Having trouble?"

Startled, Elsa turned her head. No voice had come from inside her room in a long, long time. She looked towards her window seat, where there sat a white-haired boy, holding her icy brush in his hands. He walked past the bed and to the dresser, and set the brush back where it belonged. The ice was gone.

"How-," Elsa was astonished. "How did you do that?"

"You'll learn," he said with a sly grin. "You might want to wipe the ice off your face," he said, gesturing to the ice around her eyes. "It won't kill you, but it won't do you any good either."

Elsa scraped the thin layer of ice from beneath her eyes, and stood up. "Who are you?"

"Jack," he stuck out his hand and smiled. "We've got something in common."

She looked at her bare hand, and reached for her gloves.

"No, just shake it right now," Jack's eyes shimmered mischievously. "Nothing bad will happen, I promise."

He looked like her. His hair, the same pure white. His eyes, the same playful blue. And his skin, the same pale white. He spoke with years of experience but didn't look a year older than Elsa did. She trusted him, for some reason.

She slowly took his hand, afraid of freezing his fingers. He began to shake it, and, for the first time in her life, her hand was warm.

"How are you doing that?"

"You'll learn," he repeated. "Now, it looks like your powers come out at simple skin contact, am I right?"

Elsa, reminded of her failure, nodded.

"I can help you with that."


	5. Freedom

**************AUTHOR'S NOTE***************

**Thank you everyone for your support of my story! However, don't expect really frequent updates. They will be pretty sporadic since I have no idea where I'm going with my story and am sometimes so busy that I can barely find time to write. But, don't worry, I won't abandon it for good. Thanks!**

* * *

"Come with me," Jack took Elsa's hand in one and his staff in the other and led her through the window, outside the castle, and into the forest.

Spring had just ended, the flowers closed for the night and the smell of fresh green grass filled the air. Elsa stared. She had only had her frozen bedroom walls to look at for so long, she was silenced by the beauty of oncoming summer, even in the dark. Trees spread their roots far and wide and touched the sky with their branches, covered in new leaves, ready to bloom. She looked down to her feet at the soft grass that covered the forest floor. It was covered in a thin layer of ice. The path where they had walked had a new icy veil, reflecting the moonlight on the tree trunks around them. It quickly melted in the warm summer air.

"So this is what summer is," she said. She had only experienced warmth a handful of times in her life.

"I prefer winter, personally," Jack replied. "Now, pick up that stick."

He pointed to a small branch on the ground nearby.

"Show me what you can do."

"Did you not see that happening?" Elsa gestured behind them the way they came. The existence of ice was still visible closest to them. "I did that. But I didn't mean to."

"I see," Jack gestured to a fallen tree to their left. "Kick it."

"But I'll hurt myself."

"Well don't kick it that hard, then," Jack rolled his eyes.

It had been so long since Jack had dealt with teenagers. Though he looked like one himself, he had adopted the wisdom and maturity of a Guardian, but still kept his boyish charm and wit.

Elsa walked towards the fallen tree with icy footsteps. She glanced back at Jack and tapped the trunk with her toe. A layer of ice began to form, beginning at the point of contact, wrapping around and then up and down the trunk, stretching to the branches. Within thirty seconds, the entire tree had a beautiful icy covering, glistening out of place in the summer night scene. She touched the ice with her ungloved hands and the ice turned to thick snow. Elsa sculpted the snow, making flurries when she needed, placing them artistically throughout the bark of the tree. When she was done, she took a step back and looked at her finished work. It looked as if a winter storm had just hit, snow fallen naturally on the fallen tree.

"Well?" she looked at Jack, not knowing what to expect.

* * *

Jack was leaning on his staff in a daze. He had never actually seen what he did before and had no idea how it looked to others. The last time he had watched her do this with such freedom and gaiety was when she was born. When Jack had saved her. Those first few moments of life, when baby Elsa was carefree and powerful, making snow flurries at will. And, to look at her now, all grown up, making winter, took Jack's breath away.

He had never seen anyone do anything so beautiful. In that instant, Jack fell in love with winter all over again.


	6. Disappointment

Elsa saw it happen. She saw the moment Jack fell in love again.

Elsa had not interacted with boys her age since she was five. However, none of them had really accepted her powers, so she had spent much of her time alone with her sister. That being said, Elsa was clueless as to what to do next. So she repeated her question.

"Well?" she kept her eyes fixed on Jack, trying to read his reaction.

Jack traced the snow with his eyes. Every curve, every flake, every flurry. He inspected it at a distance first, and then took steps towards the trunk. He brushed away the layer of winter with his staff until he saw the trunk. Frozen. Small flurries of snow stuck in the bark, winter dancing with summer. Jack smiled to himself.

"Well done."

Again, Elsa was at a loss for words. Saying the first thing that came into her mind she blurted, "So you said you could help me?"

Jack snapped back to attention. "Hands, not feet?"

"That would be helpful."

He turned to face Elsa. "I can help you with that. Take your shoes off."

"But-"

"Off."

Elsa obeyed, confused. The only way she knew how to prevent her powers was by covering up her skin. She wondered if blindly following this total stranger was a mistake. She looked at his feet, bare on the grass. No ice. _He must know what he's doing._

"Now step over here." Jack motioned to where he was, a few feet away from the fallen tree.

Elsa began to walk, but shrank back from her first step. Ice had already begun to form beneath her toes. The grass was cold. She felt the summer wind shiver as it blew through the forest. Apologizing in her head, she ran towards Jack, ice marking her trail. She unintentionally threw herself into Jack's arms in a panicked frenzy, heart beating fast as Jack caught her by instinct. He put her aside and bent down, inspecting the icy grass. Thin trails of ice wove around each blade, taking Jack's breath away. The grass was glistening like a spider web in the rain, and Jack was mesmerized.

Elsa was looking at Jack, the way he lost himself in nature. The way he saw the beauty in her work, in winter. The way he valued even the smallest icicle hanging off the tip of the blade. She was in awe of someone so appreciative of what she detested. Her powers, normally a barrier between herself and beauty, now seemed to be a portal. She looked at Jack and thanked him in her mind for showing her what her powers really meant.

Jack stood, having reached a conclusion. "Show me your feet," he said, looking at them expectantly.

Elsa hoisted herself up onto a tree branch and dangled her bare feet in Jack's face.

"What do you see?" she asked, curious. His hands were no longer warm, but cool to the touch of her feet.

Jack could see the snow flowing through the bottoms of Elsa's feet. It was swirling through her veins, causing her skin to be a pure white, which was his doing.

"I need to close off your feet."

"What?"

"There's snow in your veins. That's how your powers work."

"So, how do you just…close them off?"

"It's hard to explain, but it just takes a second," Jack went back to work, closing of Elsa's icy power channel in her feet. "It won't hurt at all."

"Wait!"

His head snapped back up. "What?"

Elsa thought about her wording. How to tell Jack that she wanted to keep those powers. How to tell him to stop.

"I just-"

A pause. Elsa got off her branch and stood on the ground by Jack.

"Don't."

"Don't?" Jack was confused. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"I don't want to be normal."

"But you won't be. You'll still have it through your hands. Your breath. You can still use it if you want."

"But that's the thing, Jack," Elsa's instincts told her to face him, to look into the matching set of blue eyes. "I just want control. I want to be able to hold my sister's hand and not freeze her to death. I want to be able to go outside without people being afraid of me. I want-"

Elsa turned away from Jack, hiding her face. He was confused. He had interacted with girls about as much as teenagers. This situation was a mystery to him.

"What do you want?"

"I want to be able to kiss my husband. To hold my children," Elsa turned back to him. "How can I be queen of Arendelle if I can't even be courted?" She burst into tears.

Jack, even more confused, had no idea what to say. He could honestly say that he had no response to give. The sun peaking over the mountain gave him a well-needed distraction.

"I've got to get you back. We've been out all night," he reached for her hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Jack and Elsa landed on her window seat, right where they had left. Jack, remorse and confusion in his eyes, turned to go.

"But I thought you were going to help me!"

Elsa, no longer crying, was angry now. Jack had not spoken a single word to her on the way back from the forest. Not a single syllable was uttered between the two of them.

_He didn't even try to make me feel better._

"I will," Jack said, throwing the words her way as he headed out. "Later."

Jack left, and Elsa closed her window.


	7. Chapter 7

********************Author's Note******************************

**I rewrote this chapter! Yay. I think it's better and it follows with an idea I have for the next chapter, which, since I now have a direction, will probably be out before the new year. Depending on how much time I have. So, enjoy the new, shorter, chapter.**

"_I can't live like this!"_

Elsa held herself, even though she wasn't cold.

"_Witchcraft."_

She was never cold.

"_Queen Elsa, are you all right?"_

With each step, she moved farther away from the kingdom she loved.

"_Monster!"_

From the people she loved.

From her sister.

Elsa could hear the voices of the townspeople as they cried out against her. She was, as they had said, a monster. She couldn't stop the replay in her mind, the anger that had been flowing through her, the icy wall between her and Anna, the frozen fountain. Over and over and over again she could see the fear on her sister's face. The fear on everyone's faces. The anger, still flowing through her, she ripped off her final glove. For the first time in her life, Elsa felt free. Heart pounding, eyes gleaming with anticipation, flurries at the ready, Elsa was free. She raised her hands, her voice, and her heart.

She was free.

* * *

"Did that feel good?"

Elsa turned around and stood at the top of her icy stairs, now residing in her winter palace. The pale, white-haired boy with the beautiful blue eyes was standing in the middle of the floor, as Elsa had expected. Furious, she quickly stomped down the staircase, train flowing behind her.

"Where have you been?" she exclaimed the moment her foot left the final step. She made an icy chair and pushed Jack into it. "I needed you, Jack, and you didn't help me."

Jack sat, stunned, staring at Elsa's face. He gave her a once-over. "New dress. You make it?"

"Irrelevant," Elsa spat out and made herself a chair across from Jack. "But yes. What happened to you?"

There was a long silence.

A very long silence.

"I had to go," Jack finally said.

"Go where?"

"I won't tell you."

"You won't tell me?" Elsa narrowed her eyes. "You didn't help me because you had to leave to go somewhere that you won't tell me?"

Jack nodded. "That's about right."

"Jack-"

"I won't tell you."

"Fine."

Elsa and Jack sat in their cold chairs, her glaring at him and he avoiding her gaze.


	8. Chapter 8

***************AUTHOR'S NOTE**************

**Friendly reminder that I rewrote Chapter 7, so the story has changed. If your haven't read the new version, go back and read it before continuing to Chapter 8. Thank you for your support!**

* * *

_"Fine."_

No.

It wasn't fine. Nothing was fine anymore, not for Jack.

* * *

-_Yesterday-_

Jack sat on the tree branch, his legs dangling from the height.

He heard her coming, her footsteps crunching the snow beneath her feet. He felt the tree sway from side to side as she made her way up the tree. Looking down, he could see the snow falling from various nooks and crannies to the ground.

"What now?" he asked.

Miss Fortune adjusted herself on the branch, making herself comfortable. "You know you cannot intervene, Jack."

"I know," Jack said, yet to make eye contact.

"So why did you try?"

Jack turned his head to face her. "She deserves to be happy, just like everyone else does."

"Jack," Fortune sighed, "We've had this conversation before. Everyone has to earn their happiness. You don't deserve it if you haven't worked for it."

Jack was silent. He had heard this before.

"She doesn't deserve it yet. She hasn't worked for it."

"I guess that makes sense," Jack said.

"You know it does. And I'm nothing if not logical, Jack," Fortune replied, satisfied. "I'll be more than happy to bow out of her life, once she earns her happiness. Now leave me to my work and her to hers. Don't interfere."

"But-"

"She _must _learn to control her powers on her own. You cannot help her," Fortune chided.

"I understand," Jack sighed.

"All right. Off you go then."

* * *

"Fine."

An eerie silence. Elsa's piercing gaze was making Jack uncomfortable, and he wished he had never come.

Jack swallowed, avoided her gaze, and shifted uneasily in his seat, which now seemed just a bit too cold.

* * *

She couldn't keep looking at him like this. She saw how awkward he felt with her looking at him with such disdain, and, try as she might, despite her anger, that look was fading.

Elsa couldn't hold her gaze. Her blue eyes were too playful to hold an icy stare. _Such irony_, she thought as her look softened and the smile she had been hiding began to show itself.


	9. About Jack

"Do you want to go ice skating?" Elsa asked, easing the tension. "I've made a rink."

Jack looked around, seeing the entire castle made of ice. "Was that really necessary? I mean, the whole floor is made of ice, isn't it?"

Elsa stopped, "I hadn't thought of that. Well, do you want to ice skate?"

"Sure," Jack sighed.

They both stood and turned their chairs into piles of snow. Ice skates were formed around their feet, and off they went. All over the floor, skating circles and figure eights around each other.

Elsa watched Jack soar through the air with speed and agility. He was thin and his snowy hair was tousled by the gusts of wind his body made, whizzing past her. And he was handsome. She saw the gleam in his eyes, the happiness that lived in those blues. Jack was like no one she had ever met. Though Elsa was a sweet child, the boys her age never fully understood her powers. And after her _incident, _she barely communicated with anyone, much less boys. But Jack understood. Jack accepted her for everything she was.

She regained her breath, not realizing she had lost it, and smiled a sweet smile at Jack. She tried to convey everything she was feeling through her face, not knowing if she was succeeding.

Jack spun around from the other side of the room and saw Elsa smiling at him. More than that, though, he saw what was underneath her smile. He saw what was happening.

_Oh no._

Jack shot back a quick, half-hearted smile as a response, and then quickly averted Elsa's eyes.

_This can't happen. And yet, it has. How am I supposed to act now? I can't just be nice, she'll keep looking at me like that._

Jack looked over his shoulder to see if she was still looking at him. She wasn't. She was skating around, not directing anything towards him. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Catch me!"

Elsa's voice sent Jack into a state of panic. He looked back to see her flying through the air, towards him. Elsa was in the middle of a flying spin, landing in Jack's hands. He set her back down and began to skate away.

"What's your favorite color?" Elsa asked.

An innocent question, Jack found it harmless to reply. "Red," he said, emotionless.

"Do you want to guess mine?" Elsa asked another question, excited to have someone to talk to after years of solitude.

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, thankful she couldn't see him. "Sure." _Might as well humor her._

"Okay!" Elsa responded positively, glad that the conversation was going so well.

"Pink," Jack said, the color the first to fly out of his mouth.

"No."

"Blue."

"Nope," Elsa smiled playfully to herself.

Jack thought for a minute. "Green."

"Nope."

Jack sighed, "Yellow."

"No!"

"I give up then." Jack was tired of guessing.

"It's purple!" Elsa smiled. Jack could hear it in her voice.

"Good for you," he said, and continued to skate away. He reached the edge of the room and began to unlace his skates. He was done for the day. Elsa quickly skated towards him, the wall stopping her.

"Are we done?"

"I am," Jack avoided her eyes again.

"Oh," Elsa said. "Okay."

She began to unlace her skates too, leaning down so their heads were close in proximity. "So what's your family like? Siblings or anything?"

At the word "siblings," Jack was drawn back into his past. To that day. To the _incident._

* * *

"Jack I'm scared."

Jack smiled and urged his sister onto the ice, "Come on, it's safe." Step by step she inched towards him. He grinned encouragingly, only to have a ghastly realization.

He was sinking.

He heard the crack of the ice beneath him, leaving him milliseconds to push his sister away to the thicker ice.

He was cold.

"_Jack! Jack?!"_

He could hear his sister screaming and crying out for him. His eyes opened and he could see her outline through the ice that separated them. He wondered if she could see him. He banged his fist against the ice, but it began to crack. If he were to hit it again, it would break, and his sister would fall in with him.

She didn't see him fall. Landing on her side, she opened her eyes, but couldn't see Jack anymore. He wasn't anywhere.

She screamed.

Crawling on all fours back to the snowbank, she sat there, staring at the icy hole her brother had left. She curled herself up and cried, hoping by some miracle, Jack would come back up. He would be okay. He was always playing pranks like that on her, pretending to catch some "illness" or "cutting off" his thumb, just to hear her squeal in horror. But he was always okay in the end. He would rub the paint off his face, or unfold his thumb from his palm, smiling at her, saying that it was just a game. He was always okay in the end.

"_Jack?"_

He was always okay.

* * *

"I don't know anymore," Jack spat out, dropping his first skate to the ground.

Elsa paused, not expecting such a cold response. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, it's," Jack bent down again and began unlacing his other skate. "It's okay."

There was a pause. Jack felt he should explain a bit. He stood up and looked Elsa in the eyes. "I had a little sister, and parents. All the normal stuff."

"But?" Elsa knew there was more.

"I'd rather," Jack paused. "I'd rather not talk about it. If that's okay."

"No, it's fine. My parents are dead, too."

"I never said they were dead."

Elsa looked straight into Jack's eyes. "I can see it in your face, Jack. Anna's eyes look just like yours do. It's okay." She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. Not a romantic smile, but a smile of a kindred spirit. A sad smile.

* * *

There had been no casket since they never found his body. Jack had watched his own service. He had seen his parents standing at his headstone, his mother drying her eyes on his father, his sister huddled between them. He had seen the rest of the community surrounding his family, ready to lend a helping hand. He had watched his family walk home. Through the window, he had seen them sitting around the fire, warming themselves in silence. They skipped dinner.

They couldn't see him.

He tapped on the glass. He waved his hands up and down. He even yelled. But his parents didn't even turn their heads. His sister had fallen asleep in their father's lap. He touched the glass, a layer of ice forming. _Surely they will notice that, _he thought. But no.

His parents were too grown up to see their son.

They didn't see him looking through the window.

They didn't see him cry out for his sister.

They couldn't see him.


	10. Introducing Olaf

*****************AUTHOR'S NOTE*********************

**I know it's short, but I figured I ought to give you guys something by now. At least you have something to look forward to in these coming chapters. Thanks for sticking around. Oh, and how did you like that last chapter? I was really proud of it. Well, here you go...*_sheepishly posts new chapter*__  
_**

* * *

She was upset when he left. He gave no reason other than he just needed to be alone for a while.

_And so did she, _Jack thought the next morning, attempting to justify his abrupt departure from the ice castle. Elsa didn't know it, but her powers would continue to increase until they would eventually overpower her, unless she learned how to get them in check. _That's something she has to do by herself. _Jack had remembered Miss Fortune's words and left. Elsa was in angry tears, but he knew he couldn't stay.

In the distance, Jack saw a snowball rolling down the mountain, increasing in speed. If he strained it seemed like he could hear something. Screaming. Or maybe just yelling. _Who would be yelling? _Jack wondered as the snowball neared. He leaned down from his perch in the tree and realized that it wasn't just a snowball. It was a snowman. And it was definitely the one yelling. He hopped down and stood in its way. He crashed headfirst into Jack, breaking into two parts.

"Hey there, little guy," Jack said as he placed an arm back in the body. "What are you doing?"

The disproportionate snowman got off his stomach and stood up. He came only to Jack's waist. "Um, well, I'm kind of busy, but I guess I can talk." His disembodied head spoke from behind Jack as his body grabbed his other arm and made its way over. Guiding his body to his head, he stood, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Hi. I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"


End file.
